Only Human
by drewsapaloosa
Summary: A fanfiction set in the fifth season of Spencer Reid being a single father. Soon, the mother comes along, and his world is sent upside down while trying to deal with work and his daughter, Isobel. **NOT A ONESHOT** Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

"Daddy, where did I come from?" the little girl asked, beaming up at her father. All she wanted to know was that. Where did she come from... why didn't she have a mommy like all the other kids? She breathed in slowly and grasped her father's hands, falling into his large arms. Spencer Reid picked his daughter up and held her gently, stepping slowly into the foyer. "When you're older you'll be able to understand much better, Isobel." He said calmly as he stepped through her door way and placed her in the small bed by the window. Spencer reached down and took the ribbons out of Isobel's hair and let her wavy blonde hair fall to her shoulders. As she pulled the duvet over her petit legs Spencer crouched down and sat at the side of her bed. He kissed her forehead softly and pulled back, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Could you read to me just a bit, dad?" she asked kindly. Spencer obliged. He would always want to read to her. She was such an intelligent child. Her mind was already broadened at the age of four, she enjoyed reading and colouring... reciting poetry. Her favourite book for her dad to read aloud was The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Isobel only watched the Discovery Channel, but occasionally watched Disney, too. Spencer was constantly reminded of himself every time he looked at her. As he pulled The Notebook from her purple pink shelf, – which was covered in flower stickers, decor by his daughter – he caught Isobel smiling so happily and giddily, which then reminded him of Isobel's mother; Lila Archer.


	2. The Routine

The unpleasant whine of Avril Lavigne's voice rang in Spencer Reid's ears as he rolled over, smacking the snooze button on his radio. 6:30 in the morning, and if he blocked out the buzz in his ears, he could almost hear the familiar voice of Judge Judy. The question wasn't why Isobel watching Judge Judy, but why was she up so early? Spencer heard the faint laughter of his daughter, clearly mocking the clients and their idiocy. Isobel definitely belonged to him.

Breakfast rolled by and he sat across from his daughter. Isobel bit hard into her bagel but struggled to chew it all at once. "Slow down, Is." Spencer scolded, watching her cautiously. She gulped it all down and raised her eyebrows at her father. "Okay, daddy," she said putting the remains of her bagel down. Spencer planned on taking her to daycare for the day then when he got back leaving her with Will if they came down with a case. He ran his hands through his curls and glanced at Isobel. She then looked to her father, her blue eyes fleeting to his. "Do you need help picking out an outfit?" He said, feeling a lump form in his throat. Isobel shook her head, following with a quiet 'no'. He plastered a smile on his face, although mentally he wanted to rip it off and be able to feel exhausted. It was enough that he had to raise a daughter by himself, but that every day he was reminded of Isobel's mother by the equivalent facial details.

Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid sat at his usual, messy, small and dark area at the office. It smelled of coffee and dust, books everywhere, paper in the most unusual spaces, and a small computer monitor was somehow just visible beneath the heaps of paperwork. There was a small radio with a clock, a magnet his daughter bought him once for his birthday, – secretly Jennifer Jareau gave it to Isobel, and then which she told her that it was her father's birthday – and an article entitled _"Mystery Boy and Celeb Hottie Lila?"_ somewhere underneath all of the junk that Spencer has hoarded over the years. He sighed loudly, – actually uncertain if anyone had heard – and rubbed his eyes with enclosed hands. It was a routine. Get up early, go to work, go home and hopefully see his daughter, -- unless of course there is a case – nonetheless, story of Spencer Reid's life. Or, has been: for the past four years. People passed by him all the time at work. Of course, it was a Monday and they were all working on paperwork, but never would anyone really stop by to disturb one another and have casual small talk. Apparently, this Monday was a bit different. Derek Morgan strutted by with his usual confidence and boyish grin, when he abruptly stopped before passing Reid's desk. It was never Hotch, never Garcia... Never Jen nor Emily to ever ask him if anything was bothering him. It was always Derek. By the tired and irritated look on Spencer's face, Derek's shoulder immediately scrunched and his smile curled into a frown. "Reid, what is bothering you?" It all sounded like it had been done before. Routine. Day after day. Hell. The only good thing in his life these days were the looks on people's faces when they rejoice with victimized relatives, and always, his daughter's bright smile. For a brief moment he glanced up at Morgan, and then hung his head. "Do you ever feel like- no. Never mind. I just can't help but wonder... about," he began but it was obvious Derek was going to cut him off and finish. "Lila?" he offered bluntly. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the young man before him. "Reid, you have to listen to me; you would not be in this position right now. You wouldn't have this job, these friends. You would be living in a large estate in L.A and be laughing it up with some uptight people you could care less about," He started, but Spencer didn't bother to listen. What Morgan was saying sounded pretty nice at the moment... Spencer's eyes fleeted upward, watching Derek's dark lips move. All he could hear was soft, motivational, cheer the fuck up conversing that really, he didn't care about. Soon, Derek would just walk away, and Spencer could go back to drinking the tasteless, cold coffee that he didn't want to drink, but was the single thing to keep him up and walking.

He rarely understood why Isobel came home with crayon and paste all over her face, but he never bothered to ask. Spencer picked Isobel up and put her in his arms, carrying him to the nearest bathroom. "You're going to Uncle Will's tomorrow, okay? It will probably be for a bit more than three days." He said to her, feeling a knot swell in his stomach. Suddenly, he felt so guilty for dumping his kid on Will. But, Isobel really loved Will, so if she didn't care that she was being taken care of by him, it wasn't a huge issue. Isobel began to take her sweater of but the collar got stuck and she attempted to, –but also failed – pull it over her head. Spencer assisted her as she struggled through and then put her hands on her hips. "Dad, how come we never spend time with each other?" she asked in a very mature and matter-of-fact tone. His eyes widened and he bit his lip. "I- I'm very busy, Is. You know that I can't spend much time with you let alone by myself. I have a very busy job," he admitted, swallowing hard. "Then why did you have me?" she snapped, then stormed out of the bathroom, her loud footsteps thundering on a beat, ending with a big boom as she slammed her door down the hall. A very intelligent girl, like her mother, but also another similar quality was the diva attitude. Very much like Lila.


	3. Unknown Caller

Notes: Thanks for the Reviews, guys! Anyway, enjoy.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. _That was the consistent noise of Spencer Reid's head tapping against the window. He would do this every time he came close to failing asleep. The next time he did so, he then decided to sit up straight and open his eyes. Derek Morgan was snoring happily in front of him. The plane was quiet, but not silent. He could hear the friendly chatter between J.J and Rossi, discussing maybe how the clouds look lovely as the plane soars above, or possibly debating whether the genius boy, – Reid – used mirrors to play poker that one time back at the office. He heard Aaron Hotchner pipe up and argue something, while Rossi quickly proved him wrong. _Thump_. _Thump. Thump. _This time, it was Derek's head colliding with the window. Spencer rubbed his sore neck with his palm and quickly stood up, facing the loud group of people at the back. They all turned heads, except for Emily, – who was still chatting softly, to who appeared to be no one, for they weren't listening – which made Spencer feel instantly awkward. He raised his eyebrows at the team as he took a few cautious steps, making his way over to his friends when he stopped mid-way and sat in a different seat. He could hear the talking fade into small whispers, probably questioning Reid's attitude. They had no idea. And as Spencer's thoughts trailed off and he rested his head in a more comfortable position, he fell sound asleep. _Thump. Thump. Thump.  
_  
Will didn't mind that Spencer was a few days late than he wanted. He arrived at Will's house early in the morning, to Isobel up. When they arrived home, they sat in utter silence at the small, – which was crowded with old news papers and books – dining table, chewing softly on their breakfast. It was a Friday, and Spencer got to take off some personal time to get a longer weekend with his daughter. They weren't on the greatest terms, but when you're five, things seem to blow over sooner. Speaking of which, his daughter was turning five on Sunday. This was a big deal, five was a milestone! However Isobel thought and spoke like a ten year old, five is still... grand! Spencer was about to take another spoonful of Cheerios when the phone chimed. It was almost 8 o'clock, and he rarely received phone calls anyway. As he got up and reached for the phone dock, something was extremely mysterious. The California Area Code, and the _Unknown Caller_ flashing on his screen. The first thing that crossed his mind was telemarketers; who else could it be? Spencer Reid picked up the phone and cleared his throat before pressing on. "Hello?" He said uncertainly. He heard some indistinct chatter and other noises that could be heard on a street. Car honks, people shouting, et cetera. "Spencer?" A female voice said on the other end. Reid's heart pounded in his chest and he looked down at his daughter, who seemed to be curious as of who was on the other line. "Yes, this is me." He responded bluntly, of course it was him! Who else would it be? "This is Lila," the woman admitted, sounding a bit too excited, but maybe an inch guilty as well. "What?" Spencer sputtered, coughing and almost spitting up a Cheerio that had been somehow glued to the roof of his mouth. "Uh- hi, how are you?" They both said at the same time. Both of them laughed nervously, and Spencer moved to a different room where their conversation couldn't be heard. He paced in his bedroom and then tumbled onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm good," Lila told him, her voice polite and quiet like she hadn't aged, like she was still youthful, amazing and beautiful. For a moment, Spencer thought he couldn't breathe, but then he reminded to exhale. "How are you?" she asked, but then kept speaking. "How's Isobel? How is work..." she kept inundating him with the most general questions. It was like she cared so much about Spencer, like she hadn't been gone for five years. Her voice sang to Spencer, and she asked questions and spoke about her life, as if he had to do nothing but listen. He was laying peacefully, just looking up to the ceiling, listening to her talk and talk. "So Reid, I was wondering if I could come down." She said suddenly. Spencer's eyes flew wide open and he pressed the phone closer to his mouth. "Excuse me?" He said, hopefully hearing what he thought he heard. Through the other line, he heard Lila clear his throat. "I said, I was wondering if I could come down." Lila repeated, her voice sounding even sweeter once she repeated it. Spencer couldn't believe it. It felt like it was Christmas morning. All the hormones, the excitement, the giddiness Spencer Reid had once bottled up were all coming out. All. At. Once. He felt his forehead suddenly begin to sweat and he couldn't help but feel so embarrassed. "Uh, yes, I'd love that. And I'm sure Isobel would too..." he responded, hoping he didn't sound too desperate or naive. Lila sighed, relief or anger, it was hard – even for a profiler – to tell over the phone. "How about this Saturday? I'm not missing my daught- Isobel's birthday!" Lila asked, but it wasn't really much of a question, considering she was basically inviting herself over. Not that there was a problem with that. Spencer sometimes wanted a little bit of company. Lila would be perfect for that. With a small goodbye, Spencer hung up the phone and acted as if nothing had happened. He acted like a beautiful, ex-girlfriend, actress just called him to tell him she'd be visiting. How could he tell Isobel? What about the team. It seemed to Spencer he maybe should have not let Lila come over. But, it was too late now. She was probably already on a flight to his house on a fancy jet in a fancy dress with her fancy shoes.

Looking around, it was a wakeup call. Not only was she coming over, but... Spencer really needed to clean up.

Notes: LOOK FORWARD TO A GIDDY, EXCITED, NUTSO SPENCER. Heheehehe. Oh, and a disappointed Isobel. CRAP. SAID TOO MUCH. Kbye.


End file.
